Brainology: The Curious Sciences of Our Minds - Softcover

Science, Mosaic

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1912454009 ISBN 13: 9781912454006

Publisher: Canbury Press, 2018

Synopsis

16 amazing stories about the human brain

Ever wondered how Scandinavians cope with 24-hour darkness, why we feel pain, or whether smartphones really make children stupid? Have you heard about the US military's research into supercharging minds?

You need some Brainology. Originally written for Wellcome, the global health charity,Brainology's stories explore the mysteries of the human mind. They follow maverick doctors as they piece together the puzzle of our emotions, nerves and behaviour.

Aimed at the general reader, these 16 chapters are packed with insight. Tuck into some seriously thrilling science.

ContentsOuch! The science of pain

Why doctors are reclaiming LSD and ecstasy

Inside the mind of an interpreter

How should we deal with dark winters?

Smartphones won't* make your kids dumb (*Probably)

You can train your mind into 'receiving' medicine

Charting the phenomenon of deep grief

The mirror cure for phantom limb pain

Can you think yourself into a different person?

How to survive a troubled childhood

What tail-chasing dogs reveal about humans

A central nervous solution to arthritis

Could virtual reality headsets relieve pain?

What it means to be homesick in the 21st Century

Lighting up brain tumours with Project Violet

The US military plan to supercharge brains

About this title

Review

A companion to Bodyology, Brainology consists of articles originally published on the Mosaic Science website and funded by medical charity Wellcome. These are well-written, professional articles: if you hit on a topic that interest you, it's very easy to be sucked in.

Because I'm not a great fan of medical journalism, I was less interested by topics such as 'the nerve cure for arthritis' and 'you can train your body to receive medicine.' However, some of the other articles really rewarded my read: for example, 'How should we deal with dark winters' and (despite the 'doctor' word) 'How doctors are reclaiming LSD', which was genuinely interesting on the history of attempts to use LSD and MDMA for medical purposes (though perhaps a little light on the deaths allegedly caused by the latter).

For me, though, the standout article was 'What tail-chasing dogs reveal about humans', which uses studies of the compulsive behaviour of dogs to try to get insights into OCD. If I'm honest, I wasn't very interested in the human side, but the idea that dogs could have such behaviour - one dog, for example, apparently had to put seven pieces of food into recesses in a couch before eating - was fascinating.

In reviewing Bodyology, I complained about the over-heavy use of 'true life stories'. This is also the case with Brainology, though more of them here are first person, which tend to have less of the over-dramatised wording. Perhaps because of limiting the book to a single organ - even one as interesting as the brain - though, I found there were fewer stories that really grabbed me. However, the ones that did were superb.

As with Bodyology, it's a great collection to dip into for a single item as a quick read - though it's very tempting then to read just one more. And another. Makes a potentially heavy topic approachable and fascinating.--Brian Clegg "Brainology - Mosaic Science "

About the Author

Mosaic is a project founded by the global health charity Wellcome. It has published dozens of stories exploring the science people care about. Canbury Press has curated these stories, using a Creative Commons licence, into this book and Bodyology: The Curious Science of Our Bodies(ISBN: 9780995497863)

Edition details

• Publisher: Canbury Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1912454009
• ISBN 13: 9781912454006
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272